CHIRP Radio Bloghttp://v2.chirpradio.org/blog/category/chirp-battle-of-the-bands-2015
CHIRPradio.org is a listener-supported music and arts focused community radio station in Chicago staffed by more than 150 volunteers. We blog daily about music and culture, usually focused on the city of Chicago.enchirp@chirpradio.orgCopyright 20182018-05-21T10:00:31+00:00CHIRP Battle of the Bands 2015: The Final Round!http://chrp.at/12lB
http://chirpradio.org/blog/chirp-battle-of-the-bands-2015-the-final-round#When:20:44:00Z

Well, here we are. The Last Four is over, and only two bands remain. Unlike other rounds, there were no tiebreakers or close calls. Instead, dominance came in two familiar forms: the fiery, two-headed garage onslaught of White Mystery, and the boozy, neo-sockhop allure of Modern Vices.

Though they fought valiantly, Twin Peaks and Flesh Panthers fell to these twin beasts, but they'll be back next year. For now, they sit on the sidelines, awaiting the outcome of the final round's titanic contest.

UPDATE 4/20: When the dust settled on Friday, we were all tied up. Thus, like any exciting athletic event that's just not ready to end, we're going to overtime. Voting for OT closes at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21.

]]>2015-04-13T20:44:00+00:00CHIRP Battle of the Bands 2015: The Last Fourhttp://chrp.at/13SH
http://chirpradio.org/blog/chirp-battle-of-the-bands-2015-the-last-four#When:19:15:00Z

Ok, CHIRP fans. This is (almost) it. Our Battle of the Bands 2015 is down to its last four competitors. Here they are:

From the Wilco Region: White Mystery, Chicago's favorite redheads who pulled the upset on Jeff Tweedy and his bros.

From the Pumpkins Region: Twin Peaks, the heroic slacker lads who sent Billy Corgan back to his artisanal coffin.

From the Mavis Region: Flesh Panthers, the leather-clad punks who notched another Cinderella win against the Orwells.

From the Kanye Region: Modern Vices, the reincarnated greasers who stomped the shit out of Andrew Bird's fiddle.

Four will enter, but only two will emerge. Can White Mystery cement their status as the hardest working band in Chicago? Will Twin Peaks benefit from the Lollapalooza bump? Which of our two remaining #8 seeds will live this crazy fairytale to its logical conclusion?

Only you can determine which of these bands makes it next week's final round. Voting for Round Four closes at noon on Thursday, April 9. As always, scope 'em, vote for 'em, and argue about 'em.

The battle for CHIRP Radio's first-ever fan favorite award got serious this week, with the sixteen surviving bands from Round One engaging in e-fisticuffs to grab a few all-important votes. Here are the highlights:

#8 seeds Flesh Panthers and Modern Vices continued to overperform, steamrolling #4 seeds Califone and Mucca Pazza on their way into the final eight.

#3 seed Twin Peaks won the battle of the buzz bands, edging Chance the Rapper in a closely-watched contest.

#2 White Mystery and #6 seed Braid ended in our first tie, which was broken by a live on-air vote

The four matches of Round Three are set, and it's up to us to decide the outcomes. Voting for Round Three closes at noon on Thursday, April 2. Study the match-ups below, record your choices in the polls, then head back to the comments section to tell everyone else why they're wrong.

The Wilco Regional

#1 Seed:WilcoThird Round Song: "War on War"Best Basketball Achievement: Jeff Tweedy's great-great-great-great-grandmother once went on a date with James Naismith.

It's the third Friday in March, and we're nearing the midpoint of the greatest four days in American sports. However, just because we spent all day at work watching the NBA stars (and car dealership owners) of tomorrow battle for the NCAA championship doesn't mean we've forgotten our own barcket. Round Two of the 2015 CHIRP Battle of the Bands begins today, and with it come the results from Round One. Some matchups were close: #2 seed White Mystery eeked out a win against #7 seed Serengeti by only six votes. Others weren't quite nailbiters; thanks to a spirited social media campaign, #8 seed Flesh Panthers toppled Chicago legend and #1 seed Mavis Staples for this round's biggest upset. Fellow #1 seed Kanye West also fell, leaving the Panthers and fellow #8 seeds Modern Vices as our tournament's biggest Cinderellas so far.

How will they fare in Round Two? That's up to you. Voting for Round Two closes at 6pm on Wednesday, March 25. Check out the matchups below, weigh in, and argue your case in the comments section.

Welcome to the part two of the opening round of the 2015 CHIRP Battle of the Bands. For an explanation about the project and methodology, or to see part one, click here. Voting for Round One closes at 6pm on Tuesday, March 17, so be a good Chicagoan and vote early and often.

#8 Seed: Flesh PanthersFirst Round Song: "Hard Milk"Why They Should Win: Their name sounds like one of the tougher gangs from The Warriors.Why They Might Lose: Voters upset by the mental image conjured by the phrase "hard milk"

#3 Seed: The OrwellsFirst Round Song: "Dirty Sheets"Why They Should Win: In a sonic arms race with Twin Peaks for Chicago's best rock band, which benefits all of us.Why They Might Lose: Chance they've grown fat and complacent on all of their Apple money.

#6 Seed: OwlsFirst Round Song: "I'm Surprised..."Why They Should Win: Powered by emo bonafides, years on the road, and an inexhaustible supply of Kinsellas.Why They Might Lose: In the time it's taken to write this post, the Kinsellas have started three new bands.

The Pumpkins Regional

#1 Seed: Smashing PumpkinsFirst Round Song: "Bullet With Butterfly Wings"Why They Should Win: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness: getting drama club kids laid since 1995.Why They Might Lose: Billy Corgan distracted by work on new 13-hour performance piece on Andre the Giant.

#8 Seed: Bare MutantsFirst Round Song: "Crying with Bob"Why They Should Win: Having never seen them live, I just imagine they all look like the Toxic Avenger, which is a neat image.Why They Might Lose: They probably don't really look like that.

#4 Seed: How to Dress WellFirst Round Song: "& It Was U"Why He Should Win: Music's so good, it transcends the requirements of standard spelling and punctuation.Why He Might Lose: Despite the name, doesn't offer much in the way of fashion tips.

#3 Seed: Twin PeaksFirst Round Song: "I Found A New Way"Why They Should Win: Singer-guitarist Cadien James played PItchfork last summer with a broken leg.Why They Might Lose: Manager revealed to be the Log Lady (I've never seen Twin Peaks, but I'm confident this reference is funny.)

#6 Seed: The TossersFirst Round Song: "Siobhan"Why They Should Win: It's almost St. Patrick's Day, which means the city's approaching Peak Irish.Why They Might Lose: It's almost St. Patrick's Day, which means you're already tired of any music remotely resembling "Shipping Up to Boston"

#2 Seed: Chance the RapperFirst Round Song: "Good Ass Intro"Why He Should Win: Will have put out the decade's best mixtape (so far) and headlined Pitchfork before he's old enough to rent a car.Why He Might Lose: Youthful genius a grim reminder of own compromised dreams and unreached potential.

]]>2015-03-13T19:00:00+00:00CHIRP Battle of the Bands 2015: Round One, Part Onehttp://chrp.at/12b-
http://chirpradio.org/blog/chirp-battle-of-the-bands-2015-round-one-part-one#When:21:18:00Z
Spring is here. The birds are back, the snow is melting, and, in gymnasiums from Greensboro to Anaheim, college basketball teams are fulfilling their destinies. It's NCAA tournament time again, the most wonderful time of the year for fans of basketball and bracket-based competition alike. Here at CHIRP, we fall into both categories, which got us thinking: what would a tournament of current Chicago bands look like? After a little thinking, we came up with this:

We used three selection criteria. Each artist chosen had to:
* Be currently performing, either solo as a band
* Be born, based, or, in the case of bands, founded in Chicago, the suburbs, or at least Illinois.
* Get a significant amount of airplay on CHIRP

Filling up the bracket was easy. Deciding the winners? Not at all. That's where you come in. Below, you'll find part one of our Round One match-ups, along with places to vote on your favorites. Part two is right here. Voting for Round One closes at 6pm on Tuesday, March 17. Can Kanye take it all? Will Braid be this year's Cinderella? The answers to those questions, and more, await your input.

The Wilco Regional

#1 Seed: WilcoFirst Round Song: "Wilco (The Song)"Why They Should Win: Probably the one band on this list enjoyed equally by your college-aged sister and your hip uncle.Why They Might Lose: Jay Bennett fans still bummed about I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.

#8 Seed:Show You SuckFirst Round Song: "'80s Boobs"Why He Should Win: Manages to call out Teen Wolf, Howard the Duck, and the criminally underrated Just One of the Guys in one song.Why He Might Lose: Some people just hate having fun.

#5 Seed:TortoiseFirst Round Song: "TNT"Why They Should Win: Enjoys strong support from 4 out of 5 Chicagoland Guitar Center employees.Why They Might Lose: Six years since their last record; like an actual tortoise, it's hard to tell if they're dead or just sleeping.

#6 Seed:BraidFirst Round Song: "East End Hollows"Why They Should Win: Quietly released one of the best Chicago records of 1998 and 2014.Why They Might Lose: America's patience with emo revival has to end somewhere.

#4 Seed:CalifoneFirst Round Song: "Funeral Singers"Why They Should Win: Named for a defunct brand of record player, which probably appeals to you nerds.Why They Might Lose: Tim Rutili lives in California now, which means he's been warm and snowless this whole time.

#5 Seed:Robbie FulksFirst Round Song: "Let's Kill Saturday Night"Why He Should Win: Not just anyone can earn a standing show at the Hideout.Why He Might Lose: Underneath that sad country persona, Fulks is rumored to be both happy and well-adjusted.

#3 Seed:Andrew BirdFirst Round Song: "Pulaski at Night"Why He Should Win: Made the violin cool, which is pretty huge.
Why He Might Lose: You've probably walked past his house in Logan Square a hundred times, and not once has he invited you in.

#2 Seed: CommonFirst Round Song: "No Fear"Why He Should Win: Was the only reason to watch this year's Oscars.Why He Might Lose: Music career on the backburner for new project: becoming a crime-fighting superhero with John Legend.

#7 Seed: The LemonsFirst Round Song: "Best Day"Why They Should Win: Put out one of the best cassettes of 2014.Why They Might Lose: Music drowned out by the collective sigh of old hipsters who remember when tapes sucked.